Season ticket sales up on 2003 despite no FA Cup feelgood factor BUT St Mary's crowd for Rovers visit could be below 30,000 for first time in two years...

SAINTS are set for their first Premiership home crowd of less than 30,000 in almost two years.

With just 48 hours before the opening home game of the season against Blackburn, Saints have sold only 28,000 of their 32,500 capacity, with ticket-officer manager David Luker admitting it would now be "fantastic" to reach the 30,000 mark.

The last time the crowd dropped below 30,000 for a Premiership match was way back in October 2002 when a James Beattie-inspired 4-2 win against Fulham kick-started a feelgood momentum which spread through most of last season following the magical run to the FA Cup final.

The average attendance last season was a record-breaking 31,717 as demand for tickets regularly out-stripped availability.

But a limp start to the season at Aston Villa last week, coupled with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future of star striker Beattie, has fuelled a smouldering disenchantment among sections of the St Mary's faithful.

Holidays, live Sky coverage, the lack of glamour opposition and rising ticket-prices are other factors thought to be contributing to the relative apathy.

Last season, the corresponding opener at St Mary's against Birmingham attracted a bumper crowd of 31,656, while a Monday night friendly against Bayern Munich earlier this year even sold 28,453.

"There are still plenty of tickets for Saturday," said Luker.

"It is a bit more tricky for the televised games and also more difficult to sell for games like Blackburn, which is not considered to be a glamour fixture.

"Also, loads of people are away at this time of year."

Season-tickets sales numbers are, however, holding up well, with around 20,700 sales already for this season compared to just below 20,000 at this time last year.

"It's been a fantastic response and followed on from last year," added Luker.

As the season progresses, Saints again hope to go above the 22,000 mark and perhaps move towards the 25,000 season-ticket holders which chairman Rupert Lowe wants before he seriously considers extending the size of the stadium.